Resources: Performance Testing

Performance Testing and Load Testing

By the time your application is nearing completion, it has most likely gone through a number of rigorous automated and manual tests. But have you tested if it can actually handle users yet? How about 50,000 users at one time? One of the most important aspects of testing software is load testing. Load testing involves simulating multiple virtual users that send requests to the tested web site concurrently and evaluating the web site performance under the massive load. Load Testing software simulates recorded scripts and the tested server “thinks” that it works with an actual user. Each virtual user works according to its task, or scenario. In other words, each scenario emulates user actions on the tested web site.

Load testing is about creating production simulations within an application or system that is as near as possible to being a finished product ready to deploy and subject to the masses. By utilizing specialized testing software, load testing allows dev teams to answer questions like “Is my system doing what I expect under these conditions?” and “Is its performance good enough?”